A Crowning Moment In The Life Of A Motorcycle Technician

One of the benefits of working in a Honda motorcycle dealership, is that most reputable dealerships were required to send technicians to Honda specialized training to become Honda Certified or Master Technicians. 

Living in Brooklyn during the 1980's, I was fortunate to being closer to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where American Honda training facilities were located. I received my American Honda Technician Certification in less than 2 years while working for a motorcycle Honda dealership in New York. In addition, every year dealerships were mandated to send their best technicians to attend specialized training to stay updated on the new models, technology, and repair procedures.

Graduating from Phoenix, AZ, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in 1986 was a milestone in my life, and represented the culmination of years of hard work, persistence, and personal growth regarding my future in the motorcycle industry.

In 1988, Honda introduced the Gold Wing GL1500 model with a flat-six-cylinder engine.  Being selected to attend a week-long specialized training at the American Honda training facilities on the new Gold Wing GL1500, was one of the most memorable moments in my motorcycle technician career. 

Being selected for this training proved that my hard work and experience had been recognized, validating my skills and expertise and differentiating me from my peers.  At that moment in time, I felt I had reached the pinnacle of my career. Even though my motorcycle technician life has been over since 1994, I am very proud of the things I was able to accomplish.

Tinkering With Harleys

Woke up this morning thinking about expanding my skills and maybe start working in other motorcycle brands. If I put my mind into it, I can probably dabble part-time into Harley-Davidson's repairs. As a former motorcycle technician of Japanese motorcycles, I believe I can transition to work on Harley-Davidson motorcycles as long as I get the proper tools to work on them. 

My only concern is that as part of my retirement, I only plan to work part-time on bikes. Harley-Davidsons, especially older ones generally require more frequent maintenance and repairs compared to newer models. And from what I gather, there are lots of Harleys in Puerto Rico. 

Would it be worth it to spend more time at the motorcycle shop than enjoying my retirement? Regardless of what happen once I am living permanently in the island of Puerto Rico, I don't expect that to be the case.

When Tools Become Extensions of You

When a tool in your hand "becomes part of you" it's not just a metaphor. Whether they are tools, toys, a musical instrument, or a smartphone, they become extensions of you. Tools relax me, they make me feel good knowing that I have the ability to fix things. I feel most comfortable surrounded by them.

A person losing their belongings in a fire is a traumatic experience I don't wish on my worst enemy. It happened to me at a storage unit I rented 3 hours away from Philadelphia over 25 years ago. Some of the things lost that day, held deep sentimental value and they are irreplaceable. 

What I miss the most are all my personal school notes, my Kawasaki KX-125 dirt bike, and a lifetime collection of tools used to make a living as a motorcycle technician. Tools of all brands acquired since the 1970's. 

It's been more than three decades since the last time I worked at a motorcycle dealership and or worked full time on motorcycles. Returning to the motorcycle repair business, at least part-time, it is going to be a huge adjustment for me. Especially with all the new motorcycle technology available now. 

At this stage of my life, I plan to spend time at the motorcycle repair shop as a part-time hobby and to stay busy for a few hours. I had been preparing to this day for years now. I've been buying tools gradually, little by little, to replace the ones lost in the fire. Knowing myself, just in case I live to be a productive 100 years old, I'll probably keep buying new tools until the day I die. 😀

A Nostalgic Reminder Of Great Times

It is being said that acknowledging the need for honesty with yourself is a courageous first step toward clarity and personal growth. For that reason, I have to be honest and confess that for reasons I won't get into it here, initially I wasn't open about using AI in photography, until now. 

First, let's go back 40 years. In 1986, a few months after graduating from MMI, I purchased a SuperFlow 110 flowbench. For my own selfish reasons and to save money in the process, my initial interest was to build my own Kawasaki drag racing cylinder head for a Kawasaki dragbike I was putting together at that time. The SuperFlow 110 flowbench was the best motorcycle tool to optimize performance I've ever owned. 

Unfortunately, taking selfie or casual photos was not a common trend back then. Throughout the years, I recall having maybe three images of my SuperFlow 110 flowbench. The selfie pic sitting next to the flowbench disappeared years ago during one of my many moves; only the two images shown here have endured the test of time. 

That is where AI comes in. For the past two weeks, I've been using AI to create motorcycle scenarios using old photos taken years ago during motorcycle events and gatherings I've attended. 

I made a decision last night, to try to recreate a SuperFlow 110 flowbench using one of the remaining flowbench old photos taken in my Brooklyn apartment. I gave AI a few prompts, and in less than 5 seconds the application created the amazing photo featured on this post. 

It even shows a Mitutoyo Micrometer, the Neway Valve Seat Cutters and a Mitutoyo Dial Indicator with a Magnetic Base Kit.  I know is not the real thing, but to me this AI caricature is better than nothing. It is also a nostalgic reminder of great times during the first part of my life as a motorcycle technician.